Weight loss support for emotional eating

What we eat is not always related to hunger. Sometimes the strongest cravings may occur when you are feeling stressed, emotional, lonely, poorly, worried or even bored. This is called emotional eating at CSSA we are here to support you. When feeling this way, you might use food to manage unpleasant emotions or to make you feel better, only to then feel guilty after you have eaten. Whatever the trigger, emotional eating is often impulsive and unplanned. People who eat emotionally are typically drawn to higher calorie foods, such as sweets or fatty foods, for comfort.  

Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much — especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods. If you find yourself turning to food for comfort or stress relief, you’re not alone. The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals. Read on for health to control your habits. 

Distinguish Between Physical and Emotional Hunger: 

When you feel the urge to eat, pause and ask yourself why. Is it true physical hunger, or are you eating due to emotions? Cravings are often temporary, so if you’ve recently eaten, try waiting for the craving to pass. 

Keep a Food Diary: 

Writing down what you eat, how much, when, and how you’re feeling can help you identify eating triggers. This allows you to see patterns emerging and find strategies to stop this from happening.  

Keep a food diary

Eating emotionally can make you feel better, true or false? 

FALSE. Eating something pleasurable can momentarily lift your spirits when feeling burdened or stressed. Eating can provide a welcome distraction from unpleasant emotional states like anger, sadness, disappointment or fear. Unfortunately, the effect is usually temporary, and often comes with the price of feeling guilty or self-critical afterwards, which can lead to more emotional eating so the cycle continues. 

Find Alternative Pleasures or Comforts: 

Instead of reaching for food, consider other activities that provide pleasure or comfort. Take a walk, engage in a hobby, chat with a friend, listen to music, dance, or watch a movie. 

Lets move

Remove Problem Foods from Your Environment: 

We tend to eat what’s convenient and visible. Keep healthy snacks readily available in the fridge to satisfy strong urges to eat. It's also a good idea to put a recent photo of you on the fridge door and as you lose weight add more photos this will help to keep you motivated. 

Take Care of Yourself: 

Eating regular meals prevents overwhelming hunger, which can lead to impulsive eating. Regular exercise helps manage stress and maintains energy levels. Self-care practices like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing can also help manage emotions. 

Avoid Extreme Calorie Restriction: 

Depriving yourself of occasional treats or severely limiting calories can backfire. It may increase cravings or make “forbidden” foods more desirable. 

Set Realistic Expectations: 

Don’t expect perfection or try to change everything all at once. Small steps allow gradual behaviour changes over time and remember to treat yourself with compassion when you slip up, we all make mistakes but what is important is learning, acknowledging and moving on. 

Remember, if emotional eating continues to be a challenge, consider seeking counselling. This will help you understand the factors contributing to emotional eating and teach you healthy coping skills.   Healthy ways to manage emotional eating - BBC Food